Stories of Others

Share Your Story : Cyntelle

| Bloomin' Uterus
African American woman sitting in a car

Cyntelle was diagnosed with Endometriosis when she was 29 years old.  Now 32 and living in Savannah, GA, Cyntelle is the mother of a beautiful son. She loves dancing and music, and has recently begun a blog of her own.  Cyntelle’s Endo journey is quite a bumpy one…

Cyntelle’s Journey: After I had my son (October 2008), I was still vomiting and had terrible abdominal pain. My belly was swollen to the point that people were asking if I was pregnant again (impossible). December 2008 I went to the ER. The ER doc said I had a kidney infection and possibly an STD. I was a single, black, young mother so of course I had an STD? Right? Wrong. No STD was found and I was 25. Not as young as the high school age they thought I was. I digress. :)They performed lots of tests, I had an ultrasound, everything. The PA suggested I had a small cyst on my left ovary. ER doc stuck with kidney infection. What do I know? I’m no doctor.

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Share Your Story : Dimples

| Bloomin' Uterus
A smiling baby and text that reads People with dimple have a divine role in this universe: smile

Dimples, who wishes to remain anonymous, was diagnosed with Endometriosis when she was 20.  Now 21 and living in Cincinnati, Ohio, she’s started her EndoJourney last year.  She’s also recently started her Blog, EndoAnonymous.  And now she shares her story with us .

Dimple’s Journey: Hi! My code name is Dimples. ( my blog is anonymous). Starting to write this post has made me realize that sometimes I still operate in the “denial” stage of acceptance. Anyway it’s pretty obvious my diagnosis is still rather fresh, my Endo was found because my body has a surprising ability to produce large cysts on a whim. My periods had always been a little… off. My mother being the only female in the house and uncomfortable talking about these things assured me, the pain was normal even as it got worse, that the large clots happen, that some women’s periods were simply heaviers.

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Share Your Story : Andy

| Bloomin' Uterus
text that reads Live every day to its fullest

Andy was diagnosed with Endometriosis when she was 23.  Now 29, Andy hasn’t let her diagnosis slow her down:  She’s earned her Ph.D., is always active and continues to increase her physical activity.  She also loves to bake and spend time with her family and fur-babies on the coast of Australia.  Her positive attitude is an inspiration!

Andy’s Journey: I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2008, during the first year of my PhD at the age of 23, after five years of severe pain and being bounced around from one doctor to another. Some doctors told me I was overacting and that it was “just period pain”, whilst one doctor told me it was PCOS. From the age of 18 I was taking Yasmin for the control of a few cysts a scan had found on my ovaries at that age. However Yasmin did nothing to control my pain and in fact after five years I developed more cysts and horrible headaches.

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Share Your Story : Nikkia

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Nikkia

Nikkia was diagnosed when she was 23 years old.  Now 31, she lives in Arizona and she and her husband are trying to conceive their second child.  Please keep them in your prayers as they are facing the difficult decision of a hysterectomy due to the complications of her illness.

Nikkia’s Journey: Endometriosis has a long history in my family. My grandmother passed away at a young age of endometrium cancer (the lining of the uterus). My mother has had two surgeries to removed fibroids to the point it didn’t help so they did a partial hysterectomy. For me I started noticing sharp pelvic pain when I was 22 . My husband and I was trying to conceive but was unsuccessful.

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Share Your Story : Angela

| Bloomin' Uterus
A woman with brown hair wearing glasses

Angela was 29 when she found out she had Endometriosis.  Now 32, she continues to have pain and problems, despite several excision surgeries.  She lives in Darwen in the United Kingdom and she and her fiancé are the proud and happy parents of their fur-baby, Alfie. They continue to push on and live, despite these difficulties.

Angela’s Journey: I’ve always struggled with painful and heavy periods since the age of about 14. I was used to going months without one and then the floodgates would open and the Hell would start again. When I was 18 I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. To be fair I was quite lucky with my symptoms. Yes I put on weight but thankfully I didn’t develop excess hair. It was manageable. I was prepared for potential fertility issues but I wasn’t overly concerned. And then it all went wrong. So so wrong.

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Share your Story : Amanda

| Bloomin' Uterus
A smiling woman with brown hair

Amanda was diagnosed with Endometriosis at 22 and had a hysterectomy at 28.  Now 36, she continues to suffer from chronic pain, despite the hysterectomy.  Regardless, she fights through it and she and her husband have adopted two lovely children. She is blessed, even with all she has endured.  May her story aid others in their journey.

Amanda’s Journey: My story started one summer afternoon when I was twelve. My family had gone on a day trip to a park. My period had started that day and the cramps started as usual. This day was going to be a turning point though as the pain reached a point to where I found myself curled up on the floor of our minivan drenched in a cold sweat, praying that I would not throw up as my family picnicked nearby.

At first, these episodes happened a few times a year. By the time I was seventeen, they became a monthly occurrence. I did not understand the significance of the degree of pain I was in. All of my friends complained about their periods so I figured I was just experiencing what everyone else did. My mom took me to my first gynecologist appointment that year, searching for relief. I was started on an anti-inflammatory and told that it was “normal” to have cramps like that at my age. Hopefully, they would improve with age.

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Share Your Story : Lindsay

| Bloomin' Uterus
Woman with brown hair sitting on a military tank

Lindsay was 16 years old when she was diagnosed with Endometriosis.  Now 21, she lives in Connecticut.  She is a volunteer Firefighter (thank you!!!) while still enduring several chronic illnesses: Endometriosis, Fibromyalgia, Bursitis, and Anxiety.  She doesn’t let it stop her from living!

Lindsay’s Journey: Since I’ve had my period I have suffered with horrible pain and bleeding that was far from normal. My pain wasn’t just in my lower abdomen, but also really bad pain in my lower back. I tried multiple birth controls to help control my pain, but nothing seemed to help. In fact, I had horrible adverse effects. I had suicidal thoughts and it made me anxious beyond belief. Part of the issue is due to the fact that I had my thyroid removed and my hormone replacement kind of mixed with the hormones in the birth control.

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Share Your Story : Josi

| Bloomin' Uterus
text on a chalkboard that reads Don't Give Up!

Josi is 19 years old and lives in Torrington, WY.  She was diagnosed with Endometriosis just two months ago.  Like so many women, just knowing there was a cause to her pain gave her a little bit of peace of mind and she has begun her journey toward relief.  Josi hasn’t let this pain stop her from living, as she recently married the love of her life and is moving forward with hers!

Josi’s Journey: I started vomiting constantly and experiencing bad pain at 11 years old. I thought it was anxiety, and didn’t get it checked out for a couple years. At 14, I finally had a scope done to reveal a hiatal hernia. I thought, “finally, this is the cause!” And began taking prescribed medicines for acid reflux and IBS. Nothing helped. Another scope. Nothing new.

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Share Your Story : Courtney

| Bloomin' Uterus
A woman with brown hair wearing sunglasses

Courtney lives in Canada, and was diagnosed with Endometriosis a year ago, when she was 28 years old.  Now 29, Courtney makes beautiful jewelry and donates a portion of her sales to Canadian charities that deal with Endometriosis and other women’s health issues.

Courtney’s Journey:  I’m a pretty private person for the most part, and the thought of sharing my personal medical history on the internet was something that took a great deal of careful consideration on my part. But the more research I do, the more I find that the reluctance of women to share their stories is in part due to the fact that they have often spent years repeating their very personal medical details and symptoms to doctor after doctor, without getting the treatment they need. In many cases, these women are told that this is their “burden as a woman” or worse, not having their concerns taken seriously at all and told that – since the doctor can’t see anything wrong – it must be “in their head”. As personal as it is, I think it’s important for women who feel comfortable enough to do so, to share their story; if not online, at least to their family and friends, so that they may help raise awareness about this disease and help women get the care they deserve!

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